Angle & Perspective

 

Angle & Perspective – News Journal  {Opinion article}

| Sustainability | Eco-villages | Indigenous Ways | Agrarian Society | Cultural Values | Stewardship | Preservation | Sustainable Culture |

Originally published Feb, 19, 2023

In the face of ever-increasing concerns around climate change and the destructive practices we’ve come to embody as a “progressive and advanced society of people,” does progressive really mean looking forward or backward? Are the ways of the ancients outdated and to be left in the past or are they just as valuable, if not more so in our modern time?

Right now, if we didn’t have indigenous landscapes as a point of reference for comparison, where would we look? We cannot look to the industrial cities as an ideal model of a bright sustainable future, because that’s where we’ve already been able to identify failing the most.

We must look to the cultural values of those who have preserved the earth and its creatures without destroying it in the process and learn from them. Without these models, we cannot observe an ideal or an alternative way of living, yet still, so little glorification is given to these “backward societies” as being culturally relevant. I suggest they deserve much more attention than they’re currently being given.

I used to be unsure about whether things were really that bad -as we all know media propaganda is often over-hyped in order to serve ulterior motives, and while I still believe whole-heatedly that many are using the needs of the dying planet and populations to serve their own vested interests, I do believe the environmental and humanitarian crises are real and need the attention of every individual on earth.

I was awakened to many of the concerns in our world through the influence of reading the Holy Scriptures and coming to understand the responsibility given to the first humans, Adam and Eve, the garden, the creatures and all the earth, to love it and care for it, cultivate it and expand humankind’s presence in a positive way. The Levitical laws were given for governance of the people, animals, and land for prosperity.

This wasn’t hard to latch onto as my love for gardens, animals, and seeing people live in harmony has always been a source of joy for me. The many lessons taught by Christ using natural or agricultural objects for reference in his teachings speak of the Israelite’s familiarity with living close to the land. The ways of the Israelites revolved around faithfulness to GOD and being good stewards of all they were given by Him.

Sadly, many of these practices have been forgotten or purposely avoided in favor of industrialized, manufactured, convenience-oriented style living. In the name of progress and entitlement, many self-sustained communities were pushed aside or destroyed completely through successive eras to satisfy the greed and selfishness of greedy or senseless men.

Today, it is becoming more apparent that allowing these types of people to rule the world is destroying it for everyone including themselves and we’ve followed blindly to possibly a point of no return, but we cannot let that deter us from living a life in accordance to the ideal standard in our own consciences.

The only way to heal, restore and preserve what we have left is to cherish it and take full accountability for it. Despite all the headlines of doom, and the ugly side of things, there has been much progress made toward these efforts showing miraculous feats are possible and more is on the horizon.

There’s been a growing awareness by the public of political action being taken on the subject of climate change. Since I was in elementary school it’s been a hot topic that leading authorities can no longer deny. Even so, I’m still learning and I know there are so many people who still don’t understand some of the major impacts our everyday practices are having in the here and now that will continue to impact the generations coming behind us if we don’t make major commitments to change now.

Beyond just the physical impacts of pollution, food tampering, climate control, and so on, the departure from some of our most ancient ways has left us morally and spiritually depleted as well. Suicide rates continue to rise, so many people are lost in a world they can no longer cope with.

I believe returning to the practices of our wise ancestors can help restore balance to our psyches and moral compasses as many people are finding more rest and comfort in simple, rural and communal living. Even in the industrialized and metropolitan arenas, these ways of life can and are serving as models for merging into more sustainable practices that encourage moral accountability on a larger scale.

Let’s rethink the future by revisiting the ancient pathways of our ancestors!

iam:ForeverBlessed